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Thera 2.15: Sabbamitta
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(135):Sabbamitta Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter II. Two Verses =135. Sabbamitta= Reborn in this Buddha-age in the family of a brahmin(priest) of Sāvatthī, and named Sabbamitta, he saw, at the presentation of the Jeta Grove, the wondrous power of the Buddha, and entering the Monk’s order he obtained a subject for exercise and lived in the forest. After the rains he went into Sāvatthī, to salute the Buddha, and on his way there lay a fawn caught in a trapper's net. The doe, though not in the net, kept near from love for her young, yet dared not come close to the trap. The fawn, turning here and there, bleated for pity. Then the Thera: 'Alas! the suffering that love brings to creatures!' Going further he saw many bandits wrapping a man they had captured alive in straw, and 123 about to set fire to it. Hearing his cries, the Thera, out of his distress at both these things, uttered a verse within hearing of the bandits. ---- 149 Jano janamhi sambuddho janamevassito jano,|| Jano janena heṭhīyati heṭheti ca jano janaɱ.|| || 150 Kohi 21 tassa janenattho janena janitena vā,|| Janaɱ ohāya gacchaɱ taɱ heṭhayitvā bahuɱ jananti.|| || ---- 149 Folk are bound up with folk and cling to folk. Folk suffer harm from folk and wreak the same. 150 What boots you then this folk, and offspring of folk? Let the folk go and get you gone from them, Who as they go injure so many folk.1 ---- So saying, he forced his way to insight, and won arahantship(enlightenment). But the robbers, listening to his teaching, were moved in heart and renounced the world, practising the Path(Dhamma) in principle and in detail. ---- 1 I read gacchantaɱ. ---- =2.2-5 135 Commentary on the stanza of Sabbamittatthera= The stanza starting with Janojanamhi sambaddho constitutes that of the venerable Thera Sabbamitta. What is the origin? This one also, having done devoted deed of service toward former Buddhas, accumulating meritorious deeds in this and that existence, was reborn in a hunter’s family, at the time of the Blessed One Tissa, ninety two aeons (kappa) ago, and led his life eating meat (maṃsaṃ) after having killed wild beasts (miga). On that occasion, for the purpose of uplifting him, the Blessed One showed three shrines of His foop-prints near his dwelling-place, and departed. Owing to the condition of the familiarity made by him in the well self-awakened Buddhas in the past period of time, noticed (the foot-prints) marked by circles, became pious-minded, and made reverential offerings with flowers from Koranḍa shrub; on account of that act of merit, he sprang up in Tāvatiṃsa mansion, and wandering about his rounds of repeated rebirths but in excellent existences even, now and then, was reborn in a brahmin family in the city of Sāvatthi, when this Buddha arose. His name was Sabbamitta. On having attained the age of intelligence, he happened to have noticed the power of Buddha at the ceremony of acceptance of Jetavana, aptly gained pious faith, became a monk, took his mental exercise (kammaṭṭhāna), dwelt in the forest, went into rain-retreat (vassamupagantvā), finished spending his lent (vuṭṭhavasso), went to Sāvatthi to pay his homage to the Blessed One, and on his way there he caught sight of a deer-calf (migapotakaṃ) caught in a snare laid by deer-stalkers (māgavikehi oḍḍite). It’s mother, the she-deer, however though she was not caught (apaviṭṭhāpi) in the net, did not go afar owing to her affection for her child; on account of her fear of death she did not approach the vicinity of the snare either; the young deerling on the other hand was full of fear, rolled about all over to and from here and there and made a pitiable cry; on having seen it the Thera said to himself; “Alas! There is painful misery (dukkhaṃ) as a result of affection (snehahetukaṃ) of living beings;” as he went still further on (tato paraṃ) he noticed many robbers burning a man after having seized him alive (jīvagāhaṃ) wrapped his body with braided straw and that victim also wailing a loud cry, became remorseful as a result of seeing both of those incidents and spoke two stanzas to those robbers who were but listening:– 149. “Man is well bound in man; a man is but stuck to a man; man is injured by man; a man unjures a man also 150. What, indeed, is the benefit of man to him? Or (what is the benefit) of the pro- ducer to the produced (janita); Having had many men unjured, I would abandon that man and go. There, Jano means: blind foolish people. Janawhi means in another man. Sambaddho means: bound by bondage of craving; aptly bound by such ties as “This is my son, my mother” and so on. Alternatively, this is but another reading: “Ime maṃ posenti, ahaṃ ime nissāya jīvāmi (these persons nourish me; I live depending on these people)” thus, the mind is aptly attached; thus, is the meaning. Janamevassito jano means: another man relies on but another saying; “This is my son, daughter,” and so on; is adhered to by craving (tanhā) and is kept standing in the all-round seizure of tanhā. Jano janena heṭhīyati, heṭheti ca jano jamaṃ means; according as a man is attached to a man under the influence of greed without exercising adequate equanimity (ajjhupekkhanaṃ), owing to absence of deep enlightenment according as what had happened due to the condition of action being one’s own possession (kammasakatāya), in this manner, a man is injured and hurt by a man under the influence of anger. A man injures a man also, not knowing thus: “That this injury will all-round fall but on me by way of retrubution to my making injury.” Ko hi tassa janena’ttho means: What is the benefit either of being attached to that another man by another man, under the influence of craving (tanhā) or of another man being injured by another man under the influence of anger. Janena janitena vā means: after having become mother and father, what is the benefit of either that another man who produces or another man who is produced. Janaṃ ohāya gacchaṃtaṃ, heṭhayitvā bahuṃ janaṃ means: since there is such proper attainment (paṭipatti) as but being commensurate with this even of a man who wanders about in his rounds of repeated rebirths (saṃsāsa), therefore I go dropping down, forsaking in all respects and having all-round sacrificed that man, as well as that craving (tanhā) which keeps him in bondage, together with but that anger even, which has kept itself standing after hurting many men, that also; I would go and reach the place, where on one is oppressed by them; thus, is the meaning. Having however, said in this manner, the Thera there and then indulged him-self eagerly in developing spiritual insight (vipassanā) and attained Arahantsip. Hence, has it been said in the Apadāna:– “Formerly, I was a forest-worker, with the death of my father and mother. I lived my life by killing beasts; in me there had existed no good deed. In the neighbourhood of my abode, Tissa, the leader of the world, the possessor of eye, out of compassion (for me) made His three foot-prints visible. On having seen (the prints of) the treading feet, of the Master named Tissa I made my mind piously pleased with the foot-print with my joyous heart having become delighted. On having noticed the koranḍa shrub in bloom, the shrub that grew on earth, I plucked and collected the flower along with its container (sakothaka) and made my reverential offering to the most ex- cellent foot (print). On account of that act well-performed as well as my volition and resolution, I forsook my humanbody and went to Tāvatiṃsa. Whichever I went near either the divine state or human condition I had the skin of Koranḍa flower; I became well resplen- dent (suppabhāso). It was ninety two aeons (kappa) ago, that I then did my deed. I do not re- member any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of my reverential offering to the foot (print). My depravity had been burnt; … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” Those robbers, however, having listened to the truth (dhamma) in the presence of the Thera, got remorseful, became monks and aptly practised in conformity with the teaching (dhammānudhammaṃ paṭipajjiṃsu). The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Sabbamitta is complete. ----